Three times
by lukxx
Summary: Three times Aaron Hotchner prevented himself from holding her and the one time he didn't.


**Two times Aaron Hotchner prevented himself from holding her and the one time he didn't.**

**Disclaimer: Nope! I definitely do not own Criminal Minds but I might owe it for inspiring this fic.**

He could see the pain in her eyes when she mentioned her dead friend. Sadness, anger and guilt layered her voice and he knew just how much it must cost her to talk about it. Even before she confirmed it, it was obvious to him how important this friend was to her and he briefly wondered why…but the almost defeated look in her eyes brought out a gush of sympathy. Emily was never one to give in to despair. Hotch admitted to being impressed by her compartmentalization skills. She was the voice of reason. The one who was not afraid to ask the hard questions. The one he'd relied on to take up the questioning of vulnerable victims. The one he'd seen become unreadable when questioning unrepentant unsubs. Thus, to see her on the verge of a breakdown put him on high alert. No, his mind screamed! She couldn't disintegrate. Not her, never her. In his state of anxiety, he slipped up and used her first name when she turned to leave. He'd always called her Prentiss but the urge to protect her and offer her comfort outweighed his need to keep his distance. He had to clench his fingers to keep from going to her and pulling her into his arms, locking the door behind them to cocoon her from the harsh reality of the outside world.

Aaron Hotchner wasn't a flincher. He could stare down any unsub on his worst day. But when he heard her muffled groans of pain, he flinched in agony, his hands over his head. It was supposed to be a simple case. Prentiss and Reid were to go and return before anyone missed them. Instead, politics had come into play. A big shot gearing up for reelection had thought it smart to withhold information and now his agents were in danger, held up in a hostage situation. As her cries echoed through the earpiece, Dave had to prevent him from rushing in and playing knight. And as much as her cries had torn him apart, her silence was his undoing. The wait was unbearable. Knowing he couldn't go in there due to his ear injury made his heart clutch in despair. He stood waiting as Dave and Morgan joined in the rescue mission. It was the slowest ten minutes in his life. Then he saw her and his pained breath returned to him. The others got out safely and even in her state of pain, he could see her concern for her teammates. As he watched Emily hug Spencer, Aaron breathed in more deeply, wishing he could hold her and make sure she was really alright.

The music was contagious and he could tell his team was enjoying themselves. Who would have guessed that the former media liaison would finally say 'I do' to the man from New Orleans? He watched as Emily made rounds around the place, laughing with her friends. She really did have a gorgeous smile. But he wasn't the BAU team leader for nothing. He knew something was up. He also knew she had been considering Clyde Easter's proposal to move back to Interpol. He couldn't lie to himself. If she left, she would leave with a piece of his heart. He remembered the joy he had first felt when she'd introduced himself to him. And the anger he'd felt thereafter when he found out she was joining the team without his approval. He should have told her then that he wasn't angry at her. Even then he'd known that Emily Prentiss had not bribed her way into the BAU. He'd spent years working for Ambassador Prentiss and one thing he did know, the Ambassador did not encourage slackness, no matter who it was from. Her offspring would never have been allowed to go through life having it easy. He had been elated when she proved to be a more than capable profiler. That she fit in completely with the team and became part of the family was very comforting. It still haunted him that it had taken her giving up her budge to acknowledge how much she'd come to mean to the team…to him. As he watched her radiance tonight, he couldn't stop himself from holding her. And as their bodies moved together in perfect tune to the rhythm and he breathed her into him, his only wish was that they could have this dance forever.

**Hey, that's my first ever fanfiction written! Reviews are welcome.**


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